Berlin.
Wilhelm II was deeply dissatisfied with Germany's reversal in the Belarusian region. For several consecutive days, his curses at Russia could be heard throughout the Prussian palace.
"Damn Russians. Sure enough, no matter what skin they put on, they cannot change the greedy core of these Slavs."
"These Russian Labor Party members are heretics even worse than Nicholas II. Not only are they brazenly continuing the expansionist policies of the Tsarist era, making no attempt to conceal Russia's ambitions toward Europe, even the world, over the past century, they are also cunningly waving the banner of liberating the whole world while laying the groundwork for enslaving it..."
Wilhelm II was beside himself with fury. It was not that he truly feared Russia's wolfish ambitions, but that Russian actions had further shaken public trust in his own government.
Because of World War, the German people were already full of pent-up rage. Although Germany had secured relatively respectable compensation before withdrawing from the war compared with its previous life, the price it had paid for World War was clearly disproportionate to the spoils it had gained.
Then came the devastating blow of the European flu, which made German society even more oppressive. This military setback in Eastern Europe had only added frost to snow.
Germany had experienced rapid development from the last century into the beginning of this one—from national unification to explosions in its economy and industry, leaps and bounds in technology, and more.
Compared with Germany's run of misfortune over the past few years, it was easy for the German people to feel an enormous psychological gap. Military defeat at Russia's hands, in particular, was simply unacceptable.
After all, the German people's impression of Russia remained fixed in the World War era. Whether under the Tsarist regime or today's